Road-working machine.



G. S. GALD.

ROAD WORKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION IILBD NOV. 1, 1913.

1 1 26,001. Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

TATS

CHRISTOPHER S. GALD, OF SOLDIERS GROVE, WISCONSIN.

ROAD-WORKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

Application filed November 1, 1913. Serial No. 788,651.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER S. GALD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Soldiers Grove, in the county of Crawford and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Road-Working Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention refers to road-working machines, its object being to provide a simple, economical and effective combination ma chine for road-dragging, grading, smoothing and ditching, its construction and arrangement being such that the machine can be adjusted for the various road work by changing the point of draft and by the our ployment of an adjustable skid-shoe with which the machine is equipped.

Vvith the above objects in view the invention consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts as hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 represents a plan view of a drag embodying the features of my invention with parts broken away and other parts in section to more clearly illustrate details of construction; Fig. 2, a longitudinal sectional view of the same, the section being indicated by line 22 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 8, a detailed cross-section, the said section being indicated by line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring by characters to the drawings, 1, 1', represent front and rear converging beams of the angle-iron type, the same forming the'long sides of a triangular skeleton frame, the front beam 1 of which frame is slightly shorter than the rear beam 1. The converging pair of beams are connected at their flared or heel ends by an angle-iron basestrut 2, which strut has downturned knees 2, that are secured to the vertical webs of the frame beams. The horizontal websof the frame-beams 1 and l, at their intersecting points, are beveled to form a mitered corner or point in conjunction with the meeting edges of their vertical webs. The said beams are also transversely braced by an angle-iron head strut 3 and a pair of corresponding intermediate struts 4c, 4., all of which struts are provided with downturned knees 4 that are secured to the front drawings and subsequentlyv and rear beams in the same manner as that described in connection with the base-strut 2. The base-strut 2 and adjacent intermediate strut 4 are connected by a diagonally disposed angle-iron tie-strut 5 having downturned knees 5- which are nested against one of the knees of said intermediate strut and a diagonally opposite knee 2 of the base strut. As shown in the plan view the diagonal tie-strut is arranged at approximately a right-angle to the rear frame-beam l-and the base-strut 2 is disposed at a corresponding angle to the front beam 1. Thus the frame members are rigidly braced trans versely to resist collapsing strain.

Fitted to the vertical web of each beam and their series of strut knees are front and rear metallic mold boards 6 and 6, respectively, which mold-boards are concave-convex in cross-section to present outwardly curved scraping surfaces 2'', 7, the same terminating with beveled cutting edges. The forward ends of the moldboards are abutted to form a sharp nose having an outwardly curved plow-point 8 at its lower edge. The mold-boards are secured to the strut knees and vertical webs of the frame beams by pairs of bolts 9, one bolt of each pair being adapted to also clamp the beams and strut knees together. It will be understood that the heads of the series of mold-board retaining bolts are countersunk within the mold-boards to present flush surfaces for opposing the soil and that the lower outwardly curved scraping surfaces 7, 7, of said mold boards project a predetermined distance below the bottom faces of the horizontal beamwebs, whereby said, webs constitute gage strips to limit the depth of travel of said mold-boards in the soil worked upon.

The forward contacting ends of the moldboards 6, 6', are permanently secured bv a pair of rivets 10 and the said joint is further secured by a corner strap 11 that is positioned flush with the upper edges of the mold-boards having feet which are bolted to the opposite faces thereof. The corner strap 11 carries a clevis 12, and a corresponding clevis 12 is connected to the heel end of the front mold-board, the said pair of clevises being for the purpose of attaching the ends of a looped draft chain 13. as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. to which draft chain is attached the usual double tree or draft gear. It is obvious that the draft gear, when attached in connection with the chain 13, can be adjusted relative to the length of the chain to positions for. varying the angle of draft with relation to the front mold-board, whereby the soil may be shed from either end of said mold-board or, if the line of draft is arranged centrally of the mold-board, the same will be caused to travel at a right angle to the draft point and thus shed the soil equally in both directions and smooth the same out flatly. The head strut 3 is also provided with a pair of rings 15 that are positioned adjacent to the ends of said strut and to which rings are secured the ends of a short draft chain 16, the same being equipped with an adjustable grabhook 16' to which the double tree is connected for attaching the team. By utilizing a grab-hook of this character the same can be shifted upon the chain to change the line of draft to suit the condition of the work demanded as, for example, should the line of draft be shifted so as to assume a central position with relation to the pair of annularly disposed mold-boards, each moldboard, in the travel of the device, would throw the soil, which was divided at the point, in an opposite direction, which soil would shed from the heel ends of said moldboards.

In order to convert the scraper into a ditching machine and also-to facilitate the travel of said machine when not in operation, I provide an adjustable and shiftable skid-shoe 17. This skid-shoe is adapted to be connected to either a front or rear upwardly bowed draft bracket 18, 18, respec tively. The front bracket 18 is provided with feet which are secured respectively to the adjacent intermediate strut a and the obliquely disposed tie-strut 5, the said bracket being positioned approximately parallel to the rear mold-board to which it is related in conjunction with the skid-shoe when the latter is operatively attached to said bracket.- Secured to the central bowed portion of the draft-bracket 18 is a looped strap 19 for the reception of a drag-chain 20, which chain or cable has one end connected to the head of the skid-shoe. The forward draft-bracket 18 also carries a chain-securing cleat 20 and the rearward bracket 18' is provided with a corresponding cleat 20 together with a corresponding looped strap 19' for attaching the dragshoe under certain conditions.

As shown, the neck portion of the skidshoe 17 is hollow and rectangular in crosssection, having forwardly extended jaws 17, between which the end link of the dragchain is secured and just back of the jaws the neck portion of the skid-shoe terminates with an upwardly extended gripping collar 17. The tail portion of the skid-shoe is bent upwardly, being reinforced by tapered side flanges that merge into the neck portion, as shown. The feet of the rear draft bracket 18 are secured respectively to the intermediate strut 4 and base-strut 2, the said bracket being arranged parallel to the front mold-board with which it is operatively related in connection with the skidshoe, the purpose of which will be hereinafter described.

Secured to the vertical flange of the diagonal tie-strut 5 and alined with the looped strap 19 of the bracket, is a shoe-clip 21 having end spurs 22, between which the neck portion of the skid-shoe 17 is adapted to rest and, when so positioned, the neck of said shoe engages a horizontally disposed seating flange that forms part of the clip. The draft-collar 17 of the skid-shoe projects upwardly and engages the face of the clip,

whereby drag strain imparted to the shoe is resisted when the machine is in operation. A similar fulcrum clip 21 is secured to the vertical flange of the base-strut 2 and is positioned relative to the rear draft bracket 18' for the purpose of receiving the skidk shoe when said shoe is shifted from the front bracket to the rear bracket.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that should it be desired to convert the machine for ditching purposes, the shoe may be attached to the front draft bracket 18 by threading its draft-chain through the looped strap and drawing the head portion thereof upwardly in such positon that its neck will serve as a fulcrum within the clip 21. The tail of the skidshoe being consequently depressed will thus tilt the rear or heel corner of the front mold-board 6 upward and clear of the ground a predetermined distance. The adjustment of the skid-shoe being effected, the same is locked in its position by attaching one of the taut links of the chain to the cleat 20.

As best shown in Fig. 2, should draft be applied to the forward end of the machine in approximate alinement with the rear mold-board 6', the nose or plow-point will be deflected into the soil to the required depth due to the fact that the heel end of the forward mold-board has previously been elevated. Under the above described conditions the rear mold-board will travel in the line of draft and be supported by the skid-shoe which is positioned parallel with said mold-board. Under these conditions the major portion of the displaced soil will be deflected by the front mold-board, while the rear mold-board forms the land side of the cut. the rear draft bracket 18, the operation of ditching would be reversed relative to the mold-boards, under which conditions the front mold-board would become the land side, while the furrow soil would be thrown Should the skid-shoe be shifted to V out by the rear mold-board which is now obliquely disposed with relation to the line of travel of the machine.

The brackets, as previously stated, are bowed upwardly, the purpose of which is to permit clearance of the skid-head, whereby it may be adjusted at the proper elevation for ditching, attention being called also to the fact that the draft strain imparted to the skid-shoe is, for the most part, taken up by its collar engagement with the clip.

It is manifest that when the machine is traveling and not in operation one of the mold-boards may be slightly elevated by the skid-shoe to prevent unnecessary scoring or guttering of the roadway incidental to travel of said machine and, when not in-use, the skid-shoe may be freed from its engagement with the clip by slacking off its draft chain, whereby the said shoe will drag idly when the machine is in operation for other purposes than that of ditching.

While I have shown and described the skeleton frame as being formed from angleiron, I may, without departing from the spirit of my invention, construct the frame of wood beams or any other suitable material.

It should be further understood that, while I have described specific construction relative to the exemplification of my invention, I may, without departing from the spirit of the same, vary such structural features within the knowledge of skilled mechanics.

tending from the I claim:

In a road-working machine having triangularly disposed mold-boards, and transverse struts connecting the diverging rear ends of the mold-boards; the combination of companion skid-shoe attaching means mounted upon the struts and positioned adjacent to the heel ends of the mold-boards, each of said shoe-attaching means comprising a draft bracket, a looped strap carried thereby, a chainsecuring cleat mounted upon each bracket and offset rearwardly from the loop, a skid-shoe having a forward neck portion provided with terminal jaws, a gripping collar extending upwardly from the neck portion rearward of said jaws, a fixed shoeclip associated with each bracket for engagement with the neck of said shoe, spurs extending from the aforesaid shoeclip adapted to straddle the neck of said shoe whereby its head portion is held against lateral movement, and a chain exjaws of the shoe adapted to be passed through the bracket loop and adjustably secured to the cleat.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Soldiers Grove in the county of Crawford and State of Wisconsin in the presence of two witnesses.

CHRISTOPHER S. GALD.

Witnesses:

T. F. CLANCY, DAVID DAVIDSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I G. 

